Summer 2026 Inten - IT MFG Architecture

Western Digital•San Jose, CA

6h•$21 - $28•Onsite

About The Position

This internship sits at the intersection of AI, manufacturing operations, and manufacturing IT. The intern will apply advanced AI/ML techniques to real-world production challenges across Western Digital's global factories, helping drive digital transformation, improve production efficiency, and accelerate intelligent automation. The role involves working alongside engineers, data scientists, and IT teams within a fast-paced semiconductor and hard drive manufacturing environment. This position is part of WD's Early Career program, designed to support individuals beginning their professional career by providing foundational training through structured onboarding, mentorship, and a development curriculum.

Requirements

Currently pursuing a BS or MS degree in Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, Data Science, or a related field.
Hands-on coursework or project experience applying core AI/ML concepts, including supervised/unsupervised learning, model training, evaluation, and deployment.
Proficient in Python; experience with TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit-learn; comfortable with SQL and big-data platforms.
Familiarity with data preprocessing, feature engineering, and exploratory data analysis (EDA) techniques.
Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to translate ambiguous manufacturing problems into structured, data-driven solutions.
Clear written and verbal communication skills; able to present findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

Programming experience in C++, C#, or Java — particularly for manufacturing IT integration or edge/OT system development.
Familiarity with LLM/GenAI concepts and tools, including prompt engineering, RAG pipelines, or MCP-based agent frameworks.
Exposure to manufacturing domain concepts such as MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems), SECS/GEM, OPC-UA, or OEE metrics.
Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Grafana, Power BI, Tableau) or cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP).
Prior internship or research experience in an industrial, semiconductor, or supply chain environment.

Responsibilities

Design, build, and deploy AI/ML models and MCP (Model Context Protocol) applications for manufacturing and quality use cases, including defect detection, yield prediction, and process optimization.
Work cross-functionally with Production, Manufacturing IT, Equipment, and Process Engineering teams to establish robust data pipelines and end-to-end intelligent solutions.
Develop and maintain data visualization dashboards and reporting tools to surface actionable manufacturing insights for operations and IT stakeholders.
Implement model-performance monitoring and continuous-improvement loops to ensure stability, explainability, and scalability in production environments.
Apply responsible AI practices, including data privacy, access controls, and secure handling of manufacturing and operational data.
Contribute to internal tools and frameworks that enhance team productivity and reusability across projects.
Participate in Agile development processes, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.

Benefits

paid vacation time
paid sick leave
medical/dental/vision insurance
life, accident and disability insurance
tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts
employee assistance program
other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity
tuition reimbursement
transit
the Applause Program
employee stock purchase plan
the WD Savings 401(k) Plan
bonuses under either WD’s Short Term Incentive Plan (“STI Plan”) or the Sales Incentive Plan (“SIP”)
annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents
RSU awards for eligible new hires
overtime pay (for non-exempt positions)
shift differential pay (depending on the shift)